Spotlight: Numb – Chicago Hardcore

Disturbed, the Bulls, the Shed Aquarium, Blackhawks….hell, even the old sitcom Married With Children comes to mind when someone mentions Chicago, Illinois. Perhaps something else should be added to the list of word associations with Chicago. The band Numb hails from the city, ripping and tearing through their local hardcore/metal scene and making a strong name for themselves. Recently they took their act on the road to New Castle, Indiana for the Black Summerfest on June 21. I was lucky enough to attend the event and I must say I was completely blown away by the band, as was every other person in attendance. Not only did these guys rock out and put on a kick ass show, but they were hella cool to everyone who came to the show. They walked around with a binder, allowing people to sign up for their mailing list, as well as taking pictures of the fans for their website. I even managed to get my ugly ass up on there too, so props for that. Now, back to the band.

The band formed on June 8, 2002, and has been kicking ass all over the Chicago area ever since. They’ve got Ben on the drums, Eric plays the bass, and Rob handles the guitar. Up front, Tony takes care of the vocals and does an absolutely lovely job of doing so. Combine these four elements and you’ve got a sound that jumps right into your chest and buries itself deep in your soul, then kicks your ass from the inside out. Yeah, I was that blown away by these guys. The bio on their website compares them to Taproot, Korn, and The Deftones. I don’t quite hear the Korn comparison, or even much of Taproot, but I’d say the Deftones comparison is dead on. Their sound is quite reminiscent of Glassjaw as well, which is absolutely not a bad thing.

Currently the band have released two different recordings. A 4 song summer 2002 Demo, as well as a live recording. They’ll be heading into the studio in July to work on a full length album, which I know I’ll be looking forward to. Of the four songs featured on their demo, my personal favorite is Pillbox, a song which is seemingly about a girl who has wronged the singer in the past. The song isn’t as hard as the other tracks, and Tony’s vocals are a bit softer. However, he lets loose some anger near the end with the lyrics “Just want to be your pillbox, swallowed down pull me ’round, think I can’t take much more, from the whore I adore.”

If you’re into bands like Glassjaw, Snapcase, Deftones, this band is definitely for you. Head over to their website and check out some of their tunes, order their demo, and if you’re in the Chicago area, I reccomend checking out the awesome live show these guys put on. I promise you will not be disappointed.